Bartenders Behind the Use Your ImaGINation Box!

Behind the Snap To It!

Ted Kilgore is a nineteen-year veteran of the bartending and spirits world. Passing the BAR with BAR Ready Certification in 2007, he went on to manage the beverage programs at the internationally recognized Taste by Niche and the Niche restaurant group. In 2013, he opened Planter's House in St. Louis (he's its proprietor and Beverage Director). Ted is an eleven-time Tales of the Cocktail participant (twice as part of the Cocktail Apprentice Program). His cocktails have been published in Bon Appetit, Esquire, Mr. Boston's Official Bartender's Guide, San Francisco Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications.

Behind the Nalani's Adventure

While it might be humble to say that Keli Rivers has been very lucky in her career—she currently bartends at Whitechapel in San Francisco, which features the largest gin selection in the Americas—the truth is that she's worked her butt off to get to where she is. With twenty-six years in the hospitality industry under her belt, she's also a brand ambassador for German iconic wunderkind Monkey 47. Basically, she spends her time spreading the gospel of juniper-driven beverages with a perfectly crafted gibson in hand. One might call Keli's fascination with the botanically guided an unhealthy fixation, but she maintains that, in the words of John Waters, "Without obsession, life is nothing."

Behind the Simplicitea Itself

A veteran of the kitchen and bar, Greg Mayer began his hospitality career in various kitchens along the Jersey shore. While attending Johnson & Wales University, Greg found himself behind the bar at The Dorrance, one of Providence, RI's premiere cocktail establishments. After three years and a few drinks, he became the head bartender, playing a pivotal role in cocktail creation and daily operation. He then found his way down to Nashville, TN, where he currently tends bar at the trendsetting cocktail bar No. 308. In his free time, Greg loves doing cocktail competitions—competing at the regional and national levels—and exploring new cities to find great spots to drink and eat.